The One With the Reunion
by Bailey2
Summary: Very alternate universe. Diverges from the show in early season four.


Monica and Rachel's apartment  
  
March 2000  
  
  
  
"Rachel, can you give me a hand here?" Monica yelled toward her roommate's closed bedroom door. She heard the faint sound of music – what sounded like U2 – and a moment later the door swung open and Rachel peered out. She looked perfect as usual, every strand of hair in place, wearing an expensive-looking suede skirt and matching blouse.  
  
"Yeah, Mon?" she asked innocently.  
  
Monica blew a strand of hair from her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "I said, can you give me a hand here?" she repeated impatiently. "Joey and Chandler are going to be here any minute and I want the place to look nice."  
  
Rachel reluctantly stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. "Sure, Mon. Why didn't you say something earlier?"  
  
Monica gritted her teeth and turned away. "I thought it would be a given," she muttered, "seeing as we both live here."  
  
"What?" Rachel called.  
  
"Nothing. Do me a favor and run the vacuum in the living area, okay?"  
  
Fifteen minutes later, despite Rachel's severely limited cleaning ability, the apartment was about as clean and straightened as it could get, and Phoebe and Ross had just arrived in a flurry, anxious to see their old friend again.  
  
"I've got lasagna in the oven and the garlic bread is done, so you can set that out, Phoebs," Monica said, hurrying into the bathroom and running a comb through her shoulder-length dark hair. She took a minute to study her reflection, and frowned at what she saw. In Monica's point of view, she looked her age. Maybe even older. The past couple years hadn't been unkind to her, but they hadn't been the happiest either. After Chandler had left, there had been a gaping hole in her life – hers, she suspected, more so than any of the others, because she and Chandler had always had a special bond. In order to fill it, she'd thrown herself into her work, spending more and more time away from the apartment and in the kitchen at Allesandro's. Her dream had come true – she was head chef at a fancy, upscale restaurant – but she couldn't deny that she felt more than a little empty inside.  
  
Needless to say, when Chandler had called her several weeks ago and told her he was coming back for an extended visit, she had felt more alive than she had in a long time. Finally, her old friend was coming home and the six of them would be together again. Just like old times.  
  
Almost as if on cue, she heard the door to the apartment open and a sudden clamoring of excited voices. A ridiculous smile spread across her face and she glanced into the mirror again, taking a deep breath.  
  
"Mon, Mon, he's here!" she heard Rachel yelling.  
  
"Coming!" she called back. Wondering at the sudden tremble in her hands, she gave herself one final look before opening the door to the bathroom and stepping outside.  
  
And there he was.  
  
At first it was hard to see, he was being smothered by hugs and she could hardly make him out, but finally the others stepped away a bit and she saw his profile as he turned to smile at Phoebe, who was chattering on about everything and nothing. The others were smiling, Joey looked positively joyous, and Rachel had happy tears on her face as she clung to his arm. Ross glanced over and caught her eye, grinning.  
  
"And you remember Monica," he joked, interrupting Phoebe's monologue and gesturing toward her. Chandler turned around in an instant, and she felt her breath catch in her throat as the most wonderful smile spread across his face.  
  
"Oh my god, you look great," she informed him, hurrying across the room into the kitchen and meeting him halfway. He lifted her up in a hug and swung her around a little, laughing into her hair.  
  
"Me, what about you? Have you lost weight?" he joked, pulling away to smile down at her.  
  
"I wish!" her inner fat girl made her respond. She slid her hands down his arms and intertwined their fingers, looking up at him. "What happened to you? You're all tan," she said with a grin. "And you got glasses!"  
  
"Yeah, I've been told they make me look smarter," he replied wryly, squeezing her hands. "What do you think?"  
  
She tilted her head to the side and studied him, pretending to take his questions seriously. "Not bad," she mused. "But maybe if there was something up here," she pulled one hand away to knock gently on his forehead, "you wouldn't need 'em."  
  
"Ouch, zinged within thirty seconds," he laughed. "You guys have probably been saving up cheap shots since I left. Okay, who's next?"  
  
"I left my list at home," Ross kidded.  
  
"I have a few," Phoebe said.  
  
"Phoebe!" Rachel smacked her lightly on the arm, then tugged at Chandler's free hand. "Mon, stop hogging our guest. It's been a long flight, he needs to sit down, and we've got so much to talk about." She began pulling him toward the sofa.  
  
"Sorry," Monica said dryly.  
  
"Guest!" he protested, allowing himself to be led into the living area. "Hey, I know it's been awhile, but that's just insulting."  
  
"All right, then, our globe-trotting friend," Rachel said with a grin. She, Joey and Phoebe sat down on the sofa, and Monica watched them talk for a moment, a goofy smile on her face.  
  
Ross leaned over and touched her shoulder. "It's nice seeing him again, huh?" he asked, and when she looked up she saw the genuine happiness in his face.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded. "It just hasn't been the same without him."  
  
"No." His eyes clouded a little. "These past few weeks, preparing for his visit… it's the happiest I've seen you in a long time, Mon."  
  
"I've missed him," she admitted, looking away. After a pause, she gestured toward the happy tableau in the living room. "I've missed THIS."  
  
Ross sighed, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Me too," he said quietly. "I just wish he was back for good."  
  
--  
  
AN: I am getting in way over my head with this fanfic thing, lol. Anyway, this is more like a prologue than a first chapter. Things will be explained along the way, I promise. It will turn into a C/M fic (of course) and they will be the primary focus, but I have another couple in mind, too. Hope you like! 


End file.
